- By Mike Eckel
Russian Voting In Crimea Vexes Kyiv
Russia plans to open balloting precincts and voting places on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which it annexed from Ukraine in 2014. The election in fact also falls on the anniversary of the annexation.
Not surprisingly, Ukraine is none too happy about any of it. Foreign Minister Pavel Klimkin has sent a formal note of protest to Moscow complaining about that, as well as reported efforts to conduct balloting in parts of Ukraine’s eastern regions, where a war between Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces has been ongoing since just after the Crimean annexation.
- By Andy Heil
'Debate' Begins
State radio and TV starting today are giving free airtime to candidates, prescribed as one-third of the allocated time for political parties who nominated candidates, another third for candidate ads, and the remaining third for debates.
Continuing his "less is more" approach from his Kremlin perch, Putin has said he won't participate in any of the debates.
It's no secret who gets the lion's share of favorable coverage in state TV broadcasts, as Carl Schreck reported on January 17:
50 Ways To Love Your Putin: Russian TV Fawns Over Election Drive
An independent Russian election-monitoring group has accused television networks -- primarily state-controlled -- of violating election laws by delivering free campaign advertising for President Vladimir Putin ahead of the March presidential election he is widely expected to win.
Golos, which Russia authorities have designated a "foreign agent" under a controversial law on nongovernmental organizations, alleged this week that federal, regional, and local networks have aired dozens of segments in recent weeks that constitute "illegal campaigning" for Putin.
These reports, which focus mainly on a nationwide "volunteer" drive to collect the 300,000 valid signatures Putin must submit to register as an independent for the March 18 election, feature clearly slanted reporting in Putin’s favor and, in most cases, are not connected to his job as president, Golos said in a January 16 statement.
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- By Andy Heil
Gauging Interest
With around three weeks to go before the election, state pollsters at VTsIOM say more than half of Russians haven't discussed the presidential election with family or friends, and "more than half" of respondents couldn't identify more than four of the eight candidates on the ballot (Putin 82%, Sobchak 60%, Zhirinovsky 60%, and Grudinin 55%).
Putin Billboard Squeezes Into Technopolis
The Russian independent TV channel Dozhd shares something that Lentachold originally spotted when Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and other officials unveiled a mock-up of plans for the "Era" high-tech center to President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on February 23.
Among the futuristic buildings, roads, and trees, it turns out there's a Putin campaign billboard.
Lentachold on Instagram:
- By Andy Heil
Nothing Subtle About 'Get-Out-The-Vote' Ad, Or Other Heavy-Handed Tactics
Cast your ballot or find a gay man in your bed -- that's the message of a viral video urging people to vote in Russia's presidential election.
But there are many ways pressure is being applied to boost turnout amid opposition calls to stay home on polling day. Our Russian Service and Current Time TV looked at some of them, and talked with opposition commentator Oleg Kashin about the tactics -- and whether they bear the Kremlin's fingerprints.
- By Andy Heil
Supreme Court Definitively Nixes Stillborn Challenge Of Putin Candidacy
Candidate Sobchak was appealing the previous court's dismissal on February 16.
Critics who regard Sobchak's campaign as a Kremlin ploy from the start had pointed out that there was no realistic hope of this challenge succeeding.
From TASS:
MOSCOW, February 26. /TASS/. Russia's Supreme Court has rejected Ksenia Sobchak's appeal against the decision to recognize Vladimir Putin's registration as a presidential candidate as lawful on Monday.
"To dismiss Sobchak's complaint and leave the first-instance court's decision unchanged," the judge announced the ruling.
- By Mike Eckel
A Pivotal Moment For Millennials?
L.A. Times Moscow correspondent Sabra Ayres takes a deep dive into the question of Russia’s youngest voters, most of whom have grown up knowing only one leader, Vladimir Putin.
“The next six years under Putin could be when millennials develop their political voice -- whispers of which can be heard already in rap lyrics and in the demonstrations organized by opposition figure Alexei Navalny. Alternatively, Russia’s autocratic government could continue to tamp down youthful restlessness.”
- By Mike Eckel
How Much Does It Take To Run A Campaign In Russia?
The Central Election Commission has updated figures on the eight presidential candidates and their campaign organizations' spending so far.
Given the way Russia’s elections are conducted, it’s not a perfect gauge of how, where, and when candidates are actually campaigning. But it does provide some insight.
The campaign organization for Vladimir Putin, the incumbent who is widely expected to dominate the March 18 vote, has spent more than 196 million rubles ($3.5 million), mainly on things like gathering signatures for registration, printing campaign materials, and buying radio and TV spots. (Putin is running unaffiliated with any political party this year; in the past, his party has been United Russia.)
Putin’s expenditures have been exceeded by the perennial firebrand candidate Vladimir Zhirinovsky, whose nationalist Liberal Democratic Party has spent nearly 210 million rubles ($3.7 million).
The Communists, meanwhile, have dropped about 150 million rubles ($2.7 million) for their candidate, Pavel Grudnin.
To be sure, the expenditure reports don’t capture other, unofficial campaigning, such as the lavish coverage that Putin receives, almost daily, from state-run TV, and many other media.
Doctors Told To Vote At Hospital Or Else...
Our Current Time TV colleagues report that doctors at a hospital in Leningrad Oblast are being urged to bring their relatives to vote at an on-site polling station.
If they don't, staff can expect a "persuasive and convincing talk with the head of the personnel department," according to a leaflet making the rounds at the hospital.
- By Carl Schreck
Aeroflot Getting Into Election Season
State-controlled airline Aeroflot is reminding visitors to its website (the Russian-language version) that they can vote even if they're away from the polling station where they're registered. It encourages people to search the government database for "a polling station convenient for you."
The Kremlin is said to be looking to secure a high turnout in the election in what analysts see as a bid to demonstrate a broad mandate for President Putin in his all-but-guaranteed reelection.